Table for spiritualistic and mediumistic experiments



Nov. 23 1926.

E. PETERSEN TABLE FOR SPIRITUALISTIC AND MEDIUMISTIC EXPERIMENTS Filed August 24, 1925 ink/z Pel'em-en Patented New. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES ERICI-I PETERSEN, OF FLENSBURG, GERMANY.

TABLE FOR SPIRITUALISTIG AND MEDIUMISTIG EXPERIMENTS.

Application filed August 24, 1925, Serial No. 52,148, and. in Germany May '7, 1925.

My invention relates to a table for spiritualistic or mediun'iietic experiments in which an indicator is operated by tilting motions of the table through the medium of a cord or the like. It is an object of my in- \ent'icn to provide a table of comparatively small size and which, nevertheless allows placing the hands thereon without interfering with the indicator.' To this end, I arrange the indicator below the plate of the table and I provide holes'in the table bearing transparent insertions, for instance, circular glass plates, on which letters, numerals or other indications are inscribed.

" A source of light, for instance, an electric bulb, is arranged below the plate, the tilting motion of the table is transmitted to the indicator by means of a cord, and in rotating below said glass plates, the indicator artly shuts the light off such plates and in mi; manner points out certain indications.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention the cord which rotates the indicator is concealed in one of the legs of the table so as to be protected from damage and inadvertent or fraudulent tampering.

Preferably the table is pivoted to the floor so that its position is fixed and it can be tilted to one side only.

In the drawings afiixed to this specification and forming part thereof, a device embodying my invention is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved table,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of its plate and the indicator on a larger scale.

Referring now to Fig. 1, A is the plate of a table, one leg B of which is pivoted to the floor or a base plate 2' at Z, and G is another leg of the table in which a cord g or the like is concealed. b is a source of light, for instance an incandescent lamp,

arranged below the plate A and a base plate D.

Referring now to Fig. 2, a and e are holes in the table, in which are inserted plates of transparent material bearing indications, for instance the letters of the alphabet, numbers, groups of letters, words and the like.

(Z is a shaft rotatably carried in the plate A and the base plate D, 7:: is a pulley on said shaft and h is a band of elastic material to which one end of the cord 9 is secured. The band is preferably exchangeable so that a new band may be inserted when the old one has become exhausted. This is preferable to the usual construction in which a spiral spring is secured on the shaft of the indicator, as it is difficult to regulate the tension of such a spring and it cannot readily be exchanged. The cord 5/ passes over the pulley 7c and a guiding pulley 7c and through a suitable groove or passage in the leg G, its other end being secured to the base plate 2'.

c is an indicator secured to the shaft cl and adapted to oscillate below the plate A. f, f are plates of opaque material at one end of the indicator, each plate being adapted to co-operate with one set of letters on the table and it will be understood that, as such letters are staggered, only one opening a or 6 will be partly obscured by either one of the discs 7. As shown in Fig. 2, the outer disc f appears as a dark crescent in the field of the letter A.

It will be understood that tilting of the table about its pivot Zpreferably this table is three-legged and two of its legs, B, are pivoted to the base plate i While the third leg, C, in which the cord 9 is concealed, is free to be lifted from said base plate,- causes the shaft (1 and its indicator or disc to rotate and to make indications as described, since the cord 9 is secured in the base plate.

I wish it to be understood that I do no desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for ob vious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:-

1. Table for spiritualistic and mediuinistic experiments, comprising a plate, transparent indications in said plate, a source of light below said plate, and means adapted to be actuated by the tilting of said table for interposin'g an opaque body between said indications and said source of light.

2. Table for spiritualistic and mediumis; tic experiments, comprising a plate, trans indicating device in said body, said table being pivoted to a fixed part, and means for operating said indicating device secured to said fixed part at one end and concealed in one of the table legs. 7

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ERIGH PETER-SEN. 

